Exhaustion

[Susie*Bee]

You sound like an amazing teacher Susie, wish my kids had gotten you when they were little. They had a few fun teachers but I recall most of them either being boring or crabby. And yes, your husband does sound like a real winner and I looked through your pics in your sig and that laundry setup is beautiful. I have a similar washer/dryer but it's in a hallway which is crowded and has no folding area so all the clean laundry gets tossed onto my bed, bleh.

Thanks, Elisa... We do have fun, but as in all schools, there are also challenges. (wink...) It was so nice when my husband made that new laundry room, so the washer and dryer would be at "my level" and made life sooo much easier. Of course, then it made it easier for him, too! It's a nice set up. I can't imagine folding laundry on the bed. I hope you're not bending over... I need to put some new pics on sometime, because I've lost a lot of weight (over 50 lbs.) I had gained some after surgery, but during the last 2 years worked really hard and am about 126ish now. I never thought I'd wear a size 6 pants. It's like crazy exciting to me.

Ed-- I discovered the trick after all these years of fighting my low metabolism. Give in. It's never going to change, and even more so now that I've gotten older. I just can't let myself eat much. I'm not a normal person. So I eat like a tiny person. It's apparently enough. I know tiny persons that eat like big persons and are skinny as rails, and I know it's not fair, but that's life. After awhile you get used to it. I eat healthy food, with a little splurge every now and then. All my lab work is fine, blood pressure is great, I'm not starving, my body says it's fine. and I feel healthy. (Well, except for the dumb problems I have like arthritis, etc. that come with my age.) I've held steady at this weight for 7 or 8 months, so I think I've got it down pretty good. (Fingers crossed...)

BTW- my family doctor had said (in the past about my weight) not to worry, some people are just that way, no big deal, people like me would have been the survivors back in cave man days... little food keeps you going a long ways and you store it well... my neurologist, on the other hand, said I needed to lose weight, we set goals, and I went to work at it and met them. It's hard work, no matter how you do it. I've done it many times in my life, usually following Weight Watchers. Now I look so much better and feel it too. And all that extra weight is off my back and hips and knees, etc. Yay!

So it just depends on how you view it-- enjoy life and the culinary joys, or pay the price of the extra weight. I think it's a toss up myself. But I am enjoying the new me. Take care.

[JenniferG]

Congratulations Susie Bee. I have an idea of the effort you've gone to because a friend of mine lost 30 kilos on Weight Watchers over the last 8 months. She too, is loving her new weight, feels the best she's felt in years but knows it's a life-long thing but in fact, is enjoying the new eating plan. She's become very organised, plans ahead etc. and other aspects of her life have also become organised along the way. She's very happy and you sound very happy too. A great effort!

[Susie*Bee]

Congratulations Susie Bee. I have an idea of the effort you've gone to because a friend of mine lost 30 kilos on Weight Watchers over the last 8 months. She too, is loving her new weight, feels the best she's felt in years but knows it's a life-long thing but in fact, is enjoying the new eating plan. She's become very organised, plans ahead etc. and other aspects of her life have also become organised along the way. She's very happy and you sound very happy too. A great effort!

Thanks, Jennifer. And I just posted some new pics if anyone's interested, including when the 2nd graders spiked my hair. Even though it didn't turn out the greatest. They had fun.

[Doreen1]

Thanks, Jennifer. And I just posted some new pics if anyone's interested, including when the 2nd graders spiked my hair. Even though it didn't turn out the greatest. They had fun.

LOVE the hair pix! Your students will remember that day forever! :-)
You look fabulous, Dahling, with your new physique!

Warmly,
Doreen

[leahdragonfly]

Fun pix, Susie! Those are some mighty cute grand babies too!

[debbei]

Susie,

first of all you look great, even in the spiked hair! Those kids must love you to death!

And I can't believe those babies are over one year old already! They are absolutely adorable.

[Susie*Bee]

Thanks for all the nice comments. They did have a lot of fun doing my hair... and Debbei, would you believe my grandsons will soon be 2 1/2??? Time flies so quickly! I get to see Abraham this weekend, so that will be fun.

I'm afraid I've REALLY hi-jacked this thread, so back to topic-- I can't say enough times how my energy level and strength have improved with each passing year since my surgery... I still tire out after putting in a highly active day, but then again, I'm older and have my ups and downs (literally). I enjoy my life to the fullest and am SO GLAD I had my surgery. I am not going to say I can do everything I once could do-- I have limitations, but I can usually get around them in some way. I can lift my grandboys up, but straight up (close to my body), and not hold them for very long-- they are in the 25+ lb. range now. But they can always climb up on my lap. (big smile) I was not able to do a lot of things before my surgery either-- lifting things made my back hurt too much, so I really didn't lose any ground that way. In fact I know I gained some.

Again, I was exhausted for quite awhile after my surgery... it just takes some of us a long time to recover. In fact, it was either Karen or Linda that once said 1-3 years, and I would agree with that. I think it took me 3 years, and I think I am still getting better and better. I was a turtle, some are hares. It doesn't matter as long as we run the race and recover. Take care, everyone.

[scooter950]

Susie Post-op Sounds like me, now!

Hi al! I was reading these posts out loud, to my husband - and when I read Susie's description of her day - come home from work, take a nap, maybe make dinner but hubby does dishes-- my husband said "that sounds like you now!" :-) Yes, chronic pain is exhausting too. I'm trying to prepare for the neck surgery, next month, I still get jitters but I must move forward, my spine is not getting better. so... I don't know how soon I will return to work, but I do want to get back in 4 - 6 weeks ( being fused C3- C7 w/laminectomies). I'm actually looking into disability, but just for the knowledge right now, I need to work, I need the paycheck, but I fear how mobile I will be after the scoli surgery. (T2-L4) . I'm just looking into partial disability - during my recovery period.

Susie, I do admire that washer & Dryer set up! I've told my husband we need to buy those storage stands, to raise the machines higher.

Now Kelly- Congrats on returning to work at 2 1/2 month post op! I also plan (hope) to return to 4 hrs a day, I'm planning that for January, after my neck surgery. I agree, you have to force yourself to get back to work, but my hardest "job" is my ADLs (activities of daily living) I hate washing my hair, I hate drying my hair, I hate ironing, I hate getting dressed.... it all causes pain. Now I could stand in the HOT hot hot shower for hours, it's trying to make myself look presentable that I hate. not makeup or hair do-- just looking clean and professional, I'm at my most comfortable in loose sweatpants and a T shirt or nightgown.... not too good for work tho' Go Figure!

ciao for now, Jamie in Texas

[Elisa]

Thanks, Elisa... We do have fun, but as in all schools, there are also challenges. (wink...) It was so nice when my husband made that new laundry room, so the washer and dryer would be at "my level" and made life sooo much easier. Of course, then it made it easier for him, too! It's a nice set up. I can't imagine folding laundry on the bed. I hope you're not bending over... I need to put some new pics on sometime, because I've lost a lot of weight (over 50 lbs.) I had gained some after surgery, but during the last 2 years worked really hard and am about 126ish now. I never thought I'd wear a size 6 pants. It's like crazy exciting to me.

My bed is quite high up so I'm not bending when folding the clothes. That said, the clean clothes often get tossed from the dryer onto the bedroom if I haven't made the bed and then they get tossed onto the bed and put back into baskets on the floor. It's not the best setup for sure and I wish it were better but I don't know what else to do b/c the washer/dryer is in the hallway and there's absolutely nowhere to have a folding table. :/

Today's laundry...

[Doodles]

Kelly--
I can't even begin to imagine returning to work at 2 1/2 months! That makes me cringe just thinking of where I was at that time. I think I'm a lot more like Sally the Turtle. Sally, very slow, slow steps forward. I can relate to how you have to pick up the grandbaby. Just back from a 2 week vacation with family and 2 little ones and I can lift the almost one year old, but mostly depend on the 2 1/2 year old climbing on my lap for stories, etc. I found though I could lie on my stomach at the pool (on lounge chair) a bit more easily than last March. Little improvements still come. From a turtle--but this turtle hasn't lost weight like Sally. That is awesome!! Janet

[djkinkead]

Elisa,

The deer on top of the laundry is very endearing :-).

I have been researching fold down tables that look like a cabinet on the wall and you open the cabinet, push down the table to use for folding. Will be needing one myself when we get the new washer/dryer that are front loading and sitting on pedistals (sp?). We have to wait a month for them as the sale made them very popular and I just KNOW my old set will plan on making a very dramatic demise one week before the new set arrives. Murphy's law lives on.

Have my two month post surgery exam on Friday. I may mention some of the tiredness I feel.

[Elisa]

Elisa,

The deer on top of the laundry is very endearing :-).

Bambi would have been even more "endearing" if my daughter hadn't ripped off his eyelashes when she was two. :-(

[Susie*Bee]

I thought your folded laundry looked really sweet too, with the stuffed animals on top.

[paula]

Anemia?

I came here today to ask about exhaustion. I'm working 2 mornings a week teaching ESL at a local university. I'm 4.5 months postoperative. I've been really tired the last two weeks again, after a relatively perky period. I'm sure that is partly because I'm exercising more and have had lots of family visitorss,but my PT suggested that I should get checked for anemia just so I don't overlook it on the off chance that I might have it. So I'm getting checked next week.